Junction for Guideways of Vehicles, in Particular of Magnetic Levitation Railways

ABSTRACT

A junction for guideways of vehicles, especially magnetic levitation railways, moving along the guideways and encompassing side elements, includes a first main guideway portion selectively connected to an adjoining second main guideway portion to form the main guideway or to a connecting guideway portion to form a connecting guideway. A junction resetting device has both a selectively lowerable main guideway segment of the main guideway and connecting guideway segment of the connecting guideway. The main segment connects the two segments of the main roadway in its raised position and releases the end of the first main guideway portion in its lowered position and the connecting guideway segment is next to the first main guideway portion and, in its raised position, extends the connecting guideway portion to the end of the first main guideway portion. The first main guideway portion and the curved connecting guideway portion form the continuous connecting guideway.

The invention relates to a junction for guideways of vehicles, in particular of magnetic levitation rail roads, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Junctions for magnetic levitation railroads are known, wherein the magnetic levitation railroads which move along the guideways engage around the guideways on both sides. A linear motor, which is located in the guideway, serves as a drive of the magnetic levitation railroad, with the vehicle forming the stator. When the magnetic levitation railroad is in operation, the vehicle is placed in a hovering state before travel starts, said vehicle being raised by means of magnetic forces. Side elements are provided along the guideway, on the guideway sides around which the magnetic levitation railroads engage. Junctions are embodied, for example, as bending switches at which the main guideway is bent elastically with respect to a connecting guideway. Furthermore, swivel switches, in which one or more guideway elements are swiveled about a plurality of vertical pivot axes are known.

DE 42 02 131 C2 has already disclosed a switch for magnetic levitation railroads which move along track-bound guideways around which the magnetic tracks engage on both sides. The switch has flexible switch blades which form, at one of their ends, a continuation of the main guideway and which can alternately be aligned with two continuing guideways and connected thereto by means of actuator devices.

Furthermore, DE 33 06 874 A1 discloses alternate raising and lowering of guideway components, wherein the guideway component which is associated with the main guideway has to be raised in order to connect the main guideway to the connecting guideway.

The known switches are technically complicated and require long resetting times and high costs. Furthermore, these junctions are not suitable for short intervals between trains. The same applies if relatively small radii of curvature are necessary in the profile of the track, as is generally the case in operating yards.

The object of the invention is to provide a junction, in particular for magnetic levitation railroads, which is technically simple and permits short resetting times, in particular in the case of small radii.

The object of the invention is achieved by means of the features of claim 1; the subclaims describe advantageous refinements.

The solution provides that

the resetting means comprise a main guideway segment which is associated with the main guideway, and a connecting guideway segment which is associated with the connecting guideway, wherein both guideway segments can be lowered alternately, and in the lowered state of the one guideway segment (10, 11) the respective other guideway segment is raised,

the main guideway segment connects, in its raised position, the two main guideway elements to form the main guideway, and in its lowered position it releases the end of the first main guideway element, and

the connecting guideway segment is arranged laterally next to the first main guideway element, and in its raised position continues the connecting guideway element to the end of the first main guideway element, wherein the first main guideway element and the curved connecting guideway element form the continuous connecting guideway.

In this solution, the entire guideway is no longer moved in a different direction but rather the junction is predominantly a fixed structure, and this is advantageous in particular in the case of magnetic levitation railroads. In the case of magnetic levitation railroads, the track is usually embodied as a fixed concrete, steel or steel/concrete guideway. In order to ensure that the vehicle can travel on the guideway in the branching direction, only the guideway segment of the main guideway is lowered in each case.

A simple embodiment provides that the connecting guideway segment and the main guideway segment are each in the form of a segment slice which is cut out of the guideway, wherein the vertical section runs in each case obliquely with respect to the longitudinal extent of the main guideway, and, when viewed from above, in the case of the main guideway segment, said vertical section has a curvature which is equal to the curvature of the connecting guideway.

The outwardly directed curvature of the first main guideway element is expediently embodied as an external guideway side with side elements.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to a drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section through a magnetic levitation railroad located on a guideway,

FIG. 2 shows a junction of a guideway according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross section through a guideway according to FIG. 1 with a lowerable guideway segment in its raised position, and

FIG. 4 shows an illustration according to FIG. 3 with a lowered guideway segment.

FIG. 1 shows a cross section through a guideway structure 1 and a magnetic levitation railroad vehicle 2 which moves thereon. The guideway structure 1 is embodied essentially in the form of a T, having a vertical beam 3, at whose upper end the guideway 4 which extends transversely with respect to the vertical beam 3 is arranged. The vehicle 2 is placed in a hovering state by means of supporting and guiding magnets 6 a, and is driven by means of linear motors 5 so that it then moves along the guideway 4. The vehicle 2 engages around side elements 6, in the form of a U section, arranged laterally on the guideway 4. The side elements 6 are associated with the side guide elements 6 b to form a side guide device (not shown in more detail) and serve simultaneously as a reaction rail for the supporting and guiding magnets 6 a.

FIG. 2 shows a junction viewed from above in a schematic illustration. A first main guideway element 7 is therefore shown on the left in FIG. 2, said main guideway element 7 forming, with an adjoining second main guideway element 8, the main guideway of the junction. Furthermore, a connecting guideway element 9, which adjoins the first main guideway element 7, is also illustrated. Furthermore, two guideway segments 10, 11 which can be lowered alternately, are shown in FIG. 2. In its raised position, the main guideway segment 10 connects the two main guideway elements 7, 8 to the main guideway. Since the connecting guideway segment 11 is lowered at the same time, a vehicle can move without disruption on the main guideway (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

Conversely, when the main guideway segment 10 is lowered, the connecting guideway segment 11 is raised. Said connecting guideway segment 11 is arranged laterally next to the first main guideway element 7, and, in its raised position, it continues the connecting guideway element 9 as far as the end of the first main guide element 7. There, it merges with the main guideway element 7 since, at the same time, the main guideway segment 10 is lowered, so that a continuous connecting guideway is formed from the guideway elements 7 and 9.

The two guideway segments 10, 11 are, at least in the upper area, in the shape of a segment slice which is cut out from the guideway, wherein the vertical section runs in each case obliquely (transversely) with respect to the longitudinal extent of the main guideway.

Viewed from above, the main guide segment 10 has a curvature with a radius of curvature which is equal to the radius of curvature of the connecting guideway element 9.

So that a complete guideway is respectively present when the guideway segment 10 or 11 is raised, the outer sides 12, 13 are embodied as normal guideway sides with the corresponding side elements 6. The same applies to the outer and outwardly directed guideway side 14 at the end of the main guideway element 7 when the main guideway segment 10 is lowered.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a section along the sectional line IV-IV in FIG. 2 with the viewing direction specified in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, the connecting guideway segment 11 is shown in its upper position. The associated lowered position of the connecting guideway segment 11 is shown by FIG. 3, where, in particular, the release of the left-hand side (with respect to FIG. 2) of the main guideway element 7 can be seen. When the connecting guideway segment 11 is lowered, the magnetic levitation vehicle can engage around the illustrated side of the main guideway element 7, and in this way it ensures a continuous main guideway.

The guideway side 14 is embodied in an analogous fashion, the left-hand and right-hand sides in FIG. 3 and 4 are simply interchanged.

In this structure of the junction, the entire guideway is therefore no longer positioned in a different direction but rather the junction is predominantly a fixed structure. In order to ensure that the junction can be travelled in one of the two directions (main direction and connecting direction), only the corresponding guideway segment 10 or 11 of the guideway 8 or 9 which is not required is lowered. The width of the guideway segment which is to be lowered results from the dynamic envelope curve of the vehicle.

The guideway segment 10 or 11 which is to be lowered is moved into position by guide devices (for example guide rails) which are not shown, and it is locked in a statically secure fashion in its end position. The raising or lowering of the guideway segment 10, 11 can be carried out by means of a spindle drive, toothed rack drive or even hydraulic jacks. 

1-3. (canceled)
 4. A junction for guideways of vehicles moving along the guideways and at least partially engaging around side elements running on both sides along the guideways, the junction comprising: a first main guideway element, an adjoining second main guideway element and a curved connecting guideway element, said first main guideway element to be optionally connected to said second main guideway element to form a main guideway or to said curved connecting guideway element to form a continuous connecting guideway; a device for resetting the junction, said resetting device including a main guideway segment associated with said main guideway, and a connecting guideway segment associated with said connecting guideway, both of said guideway segments configured to be lowered alternately, and upon one of said guideway segments being in a lowered position, the other of said guideway segments being in a raised position; said main guideway segment, in said raised position, interconnecting said first and second main guideway elements to form said main guideway, and in said lowered position, releasing an end of said first main guideway element; and said connecting guideway segment being disposed laterally next to said first main guideway element and, in said raised position, continuing said connecting guideway element to said end of said first main guideway element, said first main guideway element and said curved connecting guideway element forming said continuous connecting guideway.
 5. The junction according to claim 4, wherein the guideways are part of magnetic levitation railroads.
 6. The junction according to claim 4, wherein said connecting guideway segment and said main guideway segment are each in the form of a segment slice section cut out of the guideway, said sections each run transversely with respect to a longitudinal extent of said main guideway and, when viewed from above, said section in said main guideway segment has a curvature equal to a curvature of said connecting guideway.
 7. The junction according to claim 4, wherein said first main guideway element has an outwardly directed curvature configured as an external guideway side with side elements.
 8. The junction according to claim 6, wherein said first main guideway element has an outwardly directed curvature configured as an external guideway side with side elements. 